Broken Family
by kuvira
Summary: It's been months since Toph has last visited Suyin at the Beifong Estate since her departure from Republic City. Much has changed, including their family dynamic.


Hi, guys! I know that I'm pretty behind on a lot of my updates, but I've been super busy and I'm working hard to catch up.

This is just a small story that I had saved, so to let everyone know that I'm still here, I decided to post it. I hope you guys enjoy :)

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><p><strong>Toph was lead into the living room by two guards whom she'd never met before. <strong>

"How was your trip, Ms. Beifong?"

She shrugged, "cold...bumpy." She narrowed her eyes.

The shorter guard took her hand and helped her through the carpeted flooring, and onto the beige, floral print couch. "Enjoy your visit." They both bowed and walked out of the room.

Toph hunched her back over and leaned her elbows on her knees. She picked at her left thumb and held her head down towards the floor.

Su stood in the doorway silently, knowing her mother couldn't feel her. "Mom?" She murmured timidly.

Toph's lips parted and she sat up, turning her head in the direction of the familiar voice, "Su?" She held her arms open.

Su ran over to her mother and slid into her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Mommy, I've missed you so much!" She rested her head in the crook between Toph's left shoulder and her neck.

Toph kissed her cheek and held her, leaning back into the couch. "Su, I've missed you too." She quickly wiped a tear from her cheekbone. "Are you okay? You have enough clothes and everything?" She felt her daughter's back, becoming reacquainted with her body. Her voice deepened, "You've lost weight."

Su sat back up, "I'm eating."

Toph's eyebrows furrowed and her face took on a worried expression. "Why aren't you eating?"

Su traced the crows feet forming in the corners of Toph's epicanthic folds, "I'm sorry. You look so tired."

"Why aren't you eating."

"I am...I just miss your cooking."

"Su, don't do this to me, please. Please eat."

Su nodded, "why do you look so tired."

"I haven't been sleeping well."

Su slid down in her mother's lap and laid her head utop her upper thighs.

Toph stroked her hairline, "I've been really...lonely, to say the least."

"What about Lin?"

"She moved out."

"What?" Su stared up at her mother, horrified.

"We had a fight after you left. We haven't spoken since. She refuses to talk to me."

"Why did you fight?"

"Because I'm an awful mother."

"Mama, no you aren't. You've always protected me."

Toph winced and spread her left hand over her forehead, reaching both temples. She shook her head. "I was so terrible to her. If you heard the things I said-" A tear streamed down her left cheek.

Su averted her eyes and stared at the wall, "what happened to us…"

"I don't know."

"We used to be so happy, Mom...we all loved each other."

"Do we not anymore?" Toph sniffled and leaned her head back on the couch, turning it to the left.

"I don't know. We're broken."

"When did you find out?"

"When I stopped getting in trouble."

Toph's heart sank. "I wanted you to be happy."

"I was happy at home. With you and Lin...when we would say we loved each other at night and when we cooked and cleaned together…"

"That was so long ago."

"I know, but I was so happy. I felt safe. I miss Lin so much."

"Me too."

"But she was always so unhappy. I thought it was because she was a teenager, but even when she became an adult she was unhappy. I think it was because of me. I ruined everything." Su confessed.

"No. No, Su. Lin loves you so much."

"She did, Mom. I'm the reason she never got attention from you. I divided you two. Then she still tried to protect me, but I scarred her face." Su's eyes began to burn and she held back her tears. "It's all my fault, Mama" she choked.

"No." Toph bit her index finger knuckle and shook her head. "It was my fault. I was always too busy. You guys were pitted against each other for my attention."

"Why won't she talk to you? What did you say to her?"

"It was so bad, Su. She's never gonna talk to me again."

Su began to sob into her mother's thighs, "I want my sister."

Toph didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry, Su..." She covered her bottom lip with the fingers on her right hand, and her eyes angled over to the left.

"I can't stay here anymore, Mama. I hate it."

Toph was silent.

"Prison would be better than this place."

Toph pushed Su off of her thighs, "Are you kidding me?"

Su grabbed her left shoulder and stared at Toph. "No, I'm not kidding you! At least in prison I would have gotten what I deserved! Now my only sister hates me and I'll never see her again!"

Toph turned her back to Su and leaned her face against the arm of the couch. The amount of guilt that she felt was tremendous. "I don't even know what to say."

"I do. I'm leaving. I already packed."

"Su, I'm already so stressed out with my resignation I can't worry about you t-"

"What?"

Toph sighed and covered her right ear with her palm, "_fuck_" she mouthed to herself.

"Resignation? You're resigning!?" She scooted closer.

"Yes." Toph admitted, "I'm resigning."

"Why?"

"My heart isn't in this anymore. I took better care of the city than I did my own kids."

Su was silent and looked down at her feet. "Arrest me." She held out her arms.

"Su, what are you doing?"

"Arrest me."

Toph stood up.

Su stood behind her, "This will all be resolved if you just arrest me. Lin will come back and we can be a family again."

Toph lowered her head and turned it slightly to the right, "I tore up the report."

Su grabbed the orange ceramic vase that was sitting on the glass coffee table. She threw it against the wall, shattering it.

Toph flinched and covered her head, "Suyin!"

"Arrest me! Destruction of property!"

Toph squatted down, resting her left hand on the carpet and her other hand on her forehead. "I can't do this" she mumbled, "I just can't do this."

"Mom, this will all be resolved if you just arrest me."

Toph spun around, grabbed Su's wrist and tugged her forward.

"Ah!" Su landed on her knees in front of Toph.

Toph clenched her teeth, "I gave up _everything_ to protect you. Because I love you and I was scared for your future. I destroyed my relationship with my daughter!" Tears began to stream down more fervorously, "I gave up my job, just so you could have a chance at life that I was never awarded! I gave you _everything_ that I never had! I sacrificed for you! And now, after I have _nothing left, _ you tell me to arrest you? After I did everything to make sure that you stayed out of prison, you honestly believe that everything would go back to normal if I threw you in jail!? My baby, in jail!? Is that what you're telling me!?"

Su was trembling.

Toph let go of her wrist and stood up. "I'm leaving." She grabbed onto the couch and felt her way out of the room.

"Mom, please don't go. I'm sorry."

"Su, I'm sorry. This is my fault. Just live a good life, please."

"Mama…why are you leaving me?" Su spoke in the most gentle, scared voice she could create. "Please don't leave me, Mama."

Toph finally reached the door frame. Her knees buckled under her weight and she started sweating profusely. She clenched her eyes shut and leaned her body against the frame, grabbing onto it with her fingers.

"_Mom, I can't believe you!"_

"_She's my daughter, I had to protect her."_

"_She's not a baby anymore, Mom! She knows right from wrong. She only does bad things because she knows she'll get away with them! She belongs in jail with all the other teenagers who can't listen to rules!"_

"_I would have done the same for you."_

"_Oh, really!? Would you have!? Does the daughter-card work for me too, now or is it still a double standard? Because as far as I know, she gets away with everything. And now she gets to live in luxury when she belongs in prison, and I have a permanent reminder of that harsh reality scarred across my face for the rest of my life!"_

"_You're so selfish, Lin! She's your little sister!"_

"_She stopped being my sister when she cut those cables. All I've ever done was look out for her. You never bothered to until it was too late. I slept with her when she had nightmares, I cooked for her when you came home at midnight, I walked her home from school when you would forget to, I was always there, Mom. Where the hell were you!?"_

"_Get out of my house."_

"_Mom, this is my house too. I pay rent."_

"_If she's not your sister then I'm not your mother. Out of my house. Take your stuff and go."_

"_...you're not seriously doing this."_

"_Leave."_

She grabbed at both of her eyes and sobbed silently into her palms. She stepped her left foot uneasily onto the marble foyer floor. She stepped her right foot forward and sprinted out of the estate through the front doors.

Su was left alone on the carpet to cry over her broken family.


End file.
